World Renowned Author Arthur C. Clarke Dies

It is a sad day for fans of science fiction, as one of the genre’s brightest lights has been extinguished. Arthur C. Clarke died at the age of 90 years old in his adopted home of Sri Lanka early this morning due to breathing problems; he had been battling post-polio syndrome for years, an aide said.

Clarke, who gained worldwide fame in 1968 for his work on the novel, 2001: A Space Odyssey (as well as the adapted screenplay with director Stanley Kubrick) begun publishing his stories as early as the late 1940’s in magazines such as Astounding Science Fiction.

Yet his accomplishments and contributions were not limited to the world of literary fiction. In 1945 he wrote a scientific paper proposing his idea that geostationary satellites would make for ideal telecommunications relays to transmit signals around the world. For this and other non-fiction books he wrote on the implications for space flight on society, the International Astronomical Union officially named the geostationary orbit used by such satellites as the “Clarke Orbit”.

Clarke was the recipient of numerous awards including the Nebula Award of the Science Fiction Writers of America in 1972, 1974 and 1979; the Hugo Award of the World Science Fiction Convention in 1974 and 1980, and in 1986 became Grand Master of the Science Fiction Writers of America. He was awarded the Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1989.

“Sometimes I am asked how I would like to be remembered," Clarke said recently. "I have had a diverse career as a writer, underwater explorer and space promoter. Of all these, I would like to be remembered as a writer.”

In his own words: